Tickets are now on sale for the first events announced for Manx Litfest 2012, which takes place September 27-30.
The Gaiety Theatre will host An Evening with Martin Bell OBE on Friday, September 28, with doors opening at 7.30pm for an 8.00pm start. Tickets – priced at ?15 for stalls, ?17 for dress circle – are available from the Welcome Centre at the Sea Terminal, the Villa Marina reception, the Villa & Gaiety box office on 01624 600555 or online at http://www.gov.im/villagaiety/whatson.xml.
A BBC war correspondent for 30 years, Martin reported on 18 conflicts, almost losing his life in Bosnia. He left the BBC to stand against cash-for-questions Tory MP Neil Hamilton in Tatton at the 1997 General Election, winning by a landslide and becoming the first independent MP since 1951. He’s written five books about his careers in journalism and politics, perhaps most notably In Harm’s Way, his account of the war in Bosnia, republished earlier this year by Icon Books.
That same Friday night, J.R.R. Tolkien scholar and biographer Colin Duriez will be in the Manx Museum Lecture Theatre for The Hobbit: 75 Years Young, celebrating the 75th anniversary of the publication of the adventures of Bilbo Baggins, just a couple of months before the first of Peter Jackson’s Hobbit movies hits the big screen. Doors open at 7.00pm for a 7.30pm start. Tickets are ?8.00 and available from the Manx Museum shop, or by emailing manxlitfest@gmail.com.
The opening day of the festival – Thursday, September 27 – will see a talk by Sir Hall Caine expert Ulla Corkill in Greeba Castle, Caine’s long-time home in the Island. The talk starts at 12.30pm, with tickets priced at ?10.00, which includes a light buffet lunch. To book, contact manxlitfest@gmail.com.
Thursday night is the Book Fanatics’ Quiz Night at the Villa Marina Promenade Suite – author Jasper Fforde will be quizmaster for this night of literary brain teasers, with teams battling it out to be Litfest champions. And as a special treat, some of the other Litfest authors, poets and performers will be joining in the fun, helping out teams. The night kicks off at 8.15pm and tickets are priced at ?8.00 per person, available from the Villa box office and the Welcome Centre.
If you’re into crime – well, crime fiction, anyway – put a big red ring on your calendar around the night of Saturday, September 29. Three Criminally Talented Authors – Ann Cleeves (creator of the novels from which the ITV series, Vera, is adapted), Chris Ewan (Safe House, Good Thief’s Guide series) and R.J. Ellory (2010 Theakstons Crime Novel of the Year for A Simple Act of Violence) – will be talking all things crime fiction in the Promenade Suite, with host for the night, Bob Harrison. Tickets are ?8.00, available from the Villa box office and the Welcome Centre.
Saturday night also sees Ben Haggarty, one of the UK’s most renowned performance storytellers and artistic director of the acclaimed Crick Crack Club, perform Fairy Tales for Grown-ups: The Grateful and the Dead at the Erin Arts Centre in Port Erin. Doors open at 7.15pm for an 8.00pm start. Tickets are ?8.00 and are available from the Erin Arts Centre or via manxlitfest@gmail.com.
On Sunday (September 30), Ben will be at the Promenade Suite for a show for children – The Devil, The Tsar and The 3 Dry Biscuits: ‘The Tsar’s winter palace has a demon problem, and there’s only one man with the wit, the will and the peculiar equipment needed to solve it….’ This is one for youngsters aged eight and over, with Ben taking to the stage at 4.00pm. Tickets are ?5.00, available from the Villa box office and the Welcome Centre.
The Promenade Suite will be the venue for the final event of Manx Litfest on the Sunday night. Poetry for Adults will bring the curtain down on the festival, with acclaimed UK performance poet Thommie Gillow and members of the Isle of Man Poetry Society combining for a night of humour, grown-up verse and weighty issues. It gets underway at 7.30pm and tickets are ?6.00, available from the Villa box office and the Welcome Centre.
‘Our goal from the start was to create a schedule that would have something for everyone,’ explained Festival Director John Quirk. ‘We feel there’s a great mix, with authors, poets and storytellers to entertain audiences. We’ll have more details soon about the rest of the weekend’s schedule.’
Last week Manx Litfest, which is registered as a charity, announced funding support from Manx Lottery Trust and Isle of Man Arts Council, to go with the grant received from Manx Heritage Foundation earlier this year.
Book fans can find out more by visiting www.manxlitfest.com or following on Twitter (www.twitter.com/manxlitfest) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/manxlitfest).
Photo - Martin Bell OBE
